My food of choice cooked over an open flame? Not hamburgers and hot dogs, but the mighty marshmallow, preferably as the first step to creating a s’more. My methodology is familiar to campers everywhere: Once I’ve toasted my Jet Puff marshmallow until the outside has an almond brown char, I carefully place it on a graham cracker topped with several blocks of a Hershey’s bar. Then, in an act of delicious violence, I rupture its paper thin skin by sandwiching it with another graham cracker, unleashing the near liquid mallow insides so that they spill and melt the chocolate underneath.

What’s more fun than repeating this process ad infinitum? Having someone else do it for me, or even raising the decadence bar by having her or him use the s’more as an ingredient in a baller dessert. Here’s where I go for my fix:

Celebrity Cupcakes

At Celebrity Cupcakes in Rice Village, bonfire-inspired baked goods come in the form of its s’mores cupcakes. A semi-sweet chocolate cake serves as its spongy base, which is topped with crumbled graham crackers, and crowned with a spiral of toasted marshmallow fluff. Plan ahead if you’re craving this sticky confection, for the s’mores cupcakes are only available Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe

Though many Dessert Gallery fanatics (this writer included) are more often inclined to take their slices of the bakery’s terrific tiered cakes to go, break tradition if only to try the s'mores pupu platter. This dine-in-only indulgence comprises a luxurious assemblage of dark and white chocolate wafers, graham crackers, and puffy fresh marshmallows. The best part? It comes with skewers and a mini ramekin, over which you can leisurely roast your mallows but without threat of overheating from the glare of the flames, thanks to the Dessert Gallery’s highly functional air-conditioning. 

Decadent Cafe and Dessert Bar

To double down on a s’mores-themed dessert, head to the Decadent Cafe and Dessert Bar near River Oaks District, where your first order of business will be trying its s’more’s waffle, an amply sized Belgian waffle liberally laced with marshmallow sauce, milk chocolate, crushed graham crackers, and whipped cream. It’s a sweet steal at just $7; however, for the full s’mores experience shell out additional moolah for the s’mores skillet, in which a half-baked chocolate chip cookie is covered in a blanket of toasted mini mallows, then adorned with chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, and graham bits. Sharing, in theory, is recommended.

Fluff Bake Bar

Love s’mores but hate the ensuing sticky-fingered mess? Stock up on Fluff Bake Bar’s s’mores bars, which encapsulate the treat's unique combination of flavors but in a more compact fashion via three ascending sturdy layers of graham cracker crust, moist brownie, and toasted marshmallow fluff. 

Nook Cafe

Nook Cafe offers a caffeinated twist on the classic s’more with its s’more coffee. The silky smooth mocha brew is delightfully punctuated with cocoa and cracker crunch from shavings of chocolate and graham, respectively. We suggest pairing with a croissant for dipping, as well as to add savory butter balance.